U.S. patent application number 12/250424 was filed with the patent office on 2010-04-15 for table-based dfm for accurate post-layout analysis.
This patent application is currently assigned to TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.. Invention is credited to Hsiao-Shu CHAO, Yi-Kan CHENG, Ying-Chou CHENG, Yung-Chin HOU, Yao-Ching KU, Chih-Ming LAI, Chung-Kai LIN, Ru-Gun LIU, Tsong-Hua OU, Min-Hong WU, Ping-Heng YEH.
Application Number | 20100095253 12/250424 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42100035 |
Filed Date | 2010-04-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100095253 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
HOU; Yung-Chin ; et
al. |
April 15, 2010 |
TABLE-BASED DFM FOR ACCURATE POST-LAYOUT ANALYSIS
Abstract
Disclosed is a system and method for integrated circuit designs
and post layout analysis. The integrated circuit design method
includes providing a plurality of IC devices with various design
dimensions; collecting electrical performance data of the IC
devices; extracting equivalent dimensions of the IC devices;
generating a shape related model to relate the equivalent
dimensions to the electrical performance data of the IC devices;
and creating a data refinement table using the equivalent
dimensions and the electrical performance data.
Inventors: |
HOU; Yung-Chin; (Taipei,
TW) ; CHENG; Ying-Chou; (Sijhih City, TW) ;
LIU; Ru-Gun; (Hsinchu City, TW) ; LAI; Chih-Ming;
(Hsinchu City, TW) ; CHENG; Yi-Kan; (Taipei,
TW) ; LIN; Chung-Kai; (Taipei City, TW) ;
CHAO; Hsiao-Shu; (Taipei, TW) ; YEH; Ping-Heng;
(Hsin-Chu, TW) ; WU; Min-Hong; (Nantou County,
TW) ; KU; Yao-Ching; (Hsinchu City, TW) ; OU;
Tsong-Hua; (Taipei City, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
HAYNES AND BOONE, LLP;IP Section
2323 Victory Avenue, Suite 700
Dallas
TX
75219
US
|
Assignee: |
TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING
COMPANY, LTD.
Hsin-Chu
TW
|
Family ID: |
42100035 |
Appl. No.: |
12/250424 |
Filed: |
October 13, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
716/132 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 30/367 20200101;
G06F 30/398 20200101 |
Class at
Publication: |
716/2 |
International
Class: |
G06F 17/50 20060101
G06F017/50 |
Claims
1. An integrated circuit (IC) design method comprising: providing a
plurality of IC devices with various design dimensions; collecting
electrical performance data of the IC devices; extracting
equivalent dimensions of the IC devices; generating a shape related
model to relate the equivalent dimensions to the electrical
performance data of the IC devices; and creating a data refinement
table using the equivalent dimensions and the electrical
performance data.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising predicting electrical
performance of a device using the data refinement table and
equivalent dimensions of the device.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the extracting of the equivalent
dimensions comprises: generating contours of a channel region for
one of the IC devices; and calculating equivalent length and width
of the channel region of the corresponding IC device.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the generating contours comprises
using a shape simulation tool.
5. The method claim 1, wherein the generating of the shape related
model comprises measuring electrical performance parameters of the
IC device.
6. The method claim 1, wherein the generating of the shape related
model comprises calculating electrical performance parameters of
the IC devices using the equivalent dimensions of the IC
devices.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating of the shape
related model comprises using one method selected from the group
consisting of multiple regression, linear quadratic modeling, and
response surface approximation.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the creating of the data
refinement table comprises finding sensitivity parameters of the
electrical performance relative to the equivalent dimensions for
said each of the IC devices.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the finding the sensitivity
coefficients comprises: finding a width sensitivity of an
electrical parameter for said each of the IC devices; and finding a
length sensitivity of the electrical parameter for said each of the
IC devices.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the electrical parameter
comprises a parameter selected from the group consisting of
saturation current, leakage current, and threshold voltage.
11. An integrated circuit (IC) design method for post-layout
analysis to an IC device, the method comprising: providing a design
layout of the IC device; extracting equivalent dimensions of the IC
device based on the design layout; and calculating electrical
performance parameters of the device using a data refinement table
and the equivalent dimensions.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the extracting of the
equivalent dimensions comprises: generating an IC contour based on
the design layout by shape simulation; and calculating equivalent
dimensions from the IC contour.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the generating of the IC
contour comprises generating a channel region of the IC device.
14. The method of claim 12, wherein the calculating of the
equivalent dimensions comprises: finding an equivalent rectangle to
represent an overlapping region of an active region and a gate
electrode of the IC device; and extracting equivalent width and
length of the equivalent rectangle.
15. The method of claim 11, wherein the calculating of the
electrical performance parameters further comprises using a shape
related model.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the data refinement table
comprises various electrical parameters associated with the shape
related model.
17. A design for manufacturing (DFM) system for post layout
analysis, comprising: a DFM data kit including manufacturing data
from an IC manufacturer; a simulation module to generate a contour
of an IC device using a design layout of the IC device and the
manufacturing data; a shape related model associating electrical
performance to equivalent dimensions of the IC device; a data
refinement table configured to include electrical parameters
corresponding to various design layouts; and a layout analysis
module to extract electrical performance using the data refinement
table and the shape related model.
18. The DFM system of claim 17, wherein the manufacturing data
comprises a set of data selected from the group consisting of
lithography process data, etching data, chemical mechanical
polishing data, and combinations thereof.
19. The DFM system of claim 17, wherein the simulation module
comprises a lithography process control (LPC) employing the
manufacturing data to simulate lithography processes.
20. The DFM system of claim 17, wherein the shape related model
comprises an electrical parameter represented as a function of an
equivalent dimension of the IC device.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE
[0001] The present disclosure is related to the following
commonly-assigned U.S. patent applications, the entire disclosures
of which are incorporated herein by reference: U.S. Ser. No.
61/032,358 filed Feb. 28, 2008 by inventors Ying-Chou Cheng et al.
for "A METHOD FOR SHAPE AND TIMING EQUIVALENT DIMENSION EXTRACTION"
(Attorney Reference TSMC 2007-0160/2007-0594); U.S. Ser. No.
12/025,933 filed Feb. 5, 2008 by inventors Francis Ko et al. for "A
NOVEL METHODOLOGY TO REALIZE AUTOMATIC VIRTUAL METROLOGY" (Attorney
Reference TSMC 2006-1029); and U.S. Ser. No. 11/748,604 filed May
15, 2007 by inventors Ru-Gun Liu et al. for "MODEL IMPORT FOR
ELECTRONIC DESIGN AUTOMATION" (Attorney Reference TSMC
2006-0392).
BACKGROUND
[0002] Design for manufacturability, or DFM, is an integration of
manufacturing data and design procedure for better yield and design
efficiency. An interaction and communication between designer and
manufacturer is enhanced thereby for more accurate, faster, and
more efficient design. The existing DFM layout parasitic extraction
(LPE) uses equation-based solutions to predict the device behaviors
on chip. The equations are obtained by best fitting to the limited
silicon data from the test patterns. The existing design
methodology experiences various problems. In one example, the
electrical drift effects induced by process variation cannot be
separated and accurately predicted by an equation. The resource
requirements, either silicon or human, for an equation-based
solution poses a fundamental accuracy limitation. The turnaround
time and the quality of the equation fitting to silicon are not
satisfactory. Furthermore, the equation-based approach cannot
handle abrupt/discontinuous layout geometry well without costly
high-order approximation and the risk of potential singular
point.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0003] Aspects of the present disclosure are best understood from
the following detailed description when read in association with
the accompanying figures. It is noted that, in accordance with the
standard practice in the industry, various features in the drawings
are not drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions of illustrated
features may be arbitrarily increased or decreased for clarity of
discussion.
[0004] FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a design flow or method
according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0005] FIG. 2 is a top view of an embodiment of an IC device
constructed according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0006] FIG. 3 is a top view of an embodiment of an IC device
constructed according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0007] FIG. 4 is a table constructed during a design flow or method
according to aspects of the present disclosure.
[0008] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a design flow or method
according to aspects of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0009] It is understood that the following disclosure provides many
different embodiments, or examples, for implementing different
features of the invention. Specific examples of components and
arrangements are described below to simplify the present
disclosure. These are, of course, merely examples and are not
intended to be limiting. For example, the formation of a first
feature over or on a second feature in the description that follows
may include embodiments in which the first and second features are
formed in direct contact, and may also include embodiments in which
additional features may be formed between the first and second
features, such that the first and second features may not be in
direct contact. In addition, the present disclosure may repeat
reference numerals and/or letters in the various examples. This
repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and does
not in itself dictate a relationship between the various
embodiments and/or configurations discussed. It is understood that
in the figures provided, certain elements may be provided out of
scale for the sake of clarity. Also, specific embodiments, or
examples, are provided to better describe the more general
inventive concepts.
[0010] Design for manufacturability (DFM) is an integration of
manufacturing data and design procedure for better yield and design
efficiency. An interaction and communication between designer and
manufacturer is enhanced thereby for more accurate, faster, and
efficient design. In one example, various manufacturing data are
formulated, quantified, and integrated to enable collaboration
between manufacturer and designer, reduce design time and design
cost, and increase manufacturing yield and production
performance.
[0011] In order to obtain more accurate prediction on circuits, the
disclosed method in various embodiments provides an efficient
approach to estimate nonrectangular metal-oxide-semiconductor
field-effect transistor (MOSFET) devices using a table-based
approach. The method provides a post-layout design analysis to
investigate the manufacturability of devices during patterning
processes, resulting in improved IC design. In one or more design
stages, a simulation tool, such as simulated program with
integrated circuit emphasis (SPICE), is used to simulate electrical
performances of a designed device based on the design layout of the
device. As the real contour of the design layout has distorted
areas, such as rounding corners, the disclosed method using the
table-based strategy provides a cost-effective and more accurate
approach. Particularly, the discontinuous changes of
shape-to-electrical behavior can be effectively and accurately
analyzed with the disclosed method.
[0012] FIG. 1 is a flowchart of an IC design flow or design method
100. FIG. 2 is a top view of an exemplary IC device 120 constructed
according to a design layout. FIG. 3 is a top view of an exemplary
IC device 150 according to a design layout in another embodiment.
Referring to FIGS. 1 through 3, the method 100 is described below
in various embodiments.
[0013] The method 100 begins at step 102 by providing a set of IC
devices with different design layouts. The IC device 120 in FIG. 2
is taken as an example for simplicity to illustrate the design
method. In one example, the IC device 120 includes a MOSFET device
(or a MOS transistor). The IC device 120 and its layout in various
perspectives is illustrated in FIG. 2. In this example, the IC
device 120 includes an active region 122 and a gate electrode
region 124. The IC device 120 also includes a channel region 126
defined in the overlapping region between the active region 122 and
the gate electrode 124. The IC device may also include other
features such as sources, drains, and contacts (not shown). The IC
design layout may further include other assistant features, such as
dummy features and/or optical proximity correction (OPC) features.
In this example, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the active region 122
includes various additional areas, referred to as an H-shaped
active region since the active region looks similar to the letter
"H" in shape. The real manufactured contour of the H-shaped active
region will include various rounding corners, referred to as active
region rounding. A regular MOS device can be described by a width
"W" of the active region and a length "L" of the gate electrode. In
addition to the parameters of "W" and "L", the device 120 with the
rounding active region can be further described by various heights
"h1", "h2", "h3", and "h4" and various spaces "s1", "s2", "s3", and
"s4" as illustrated in FIG. 2. For example, "hi" represents the
height of an additional feature added to one end and one side of
the regular active region. In another example, "s3" represents the
space between the gate and another additional feature added to the
opposite end and opposite side of the regular active region. The
various height parameters may have different values. Similarly, the
various space parameters of the IC device may have different
values. Therefore, the height and space parameters described above
can be used to describe the design layout of the device 120.
[0014] In another embodiment, an IC device 150 can include a
rounded gate electrode as illustrated in FIG. 3. The IC device 150
in FIG. 3 is also taken as an example for simplicity to illustrate
the design method. In this example, the IC device 150 includes a
MOSFET device. The IC device 150 and its layout in various
perspectives is illustrated in FIG. 3. The IC device 150 includes
an active region 152 and a gate electrode region 154. The IC device
150 also includes a channel region 156 defined by an overlapping
region between the active region 152 and the gate electrode 154.
The IC device 150 may also include other features such as sources,
drains, and contacts (not shown). The IC layout may further include
other assistant features, such as dummy features and/or OPC
features. In this example, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the gate
electrode 154 includes various additional areas. The gate electrode
is referred to as an I-shaped gate electrode since it looks similar
to the letter "I" in shape. The real manufactured contour of the
I-shaped gate electrode will include various rounding corners,
referred to as gate electrode rounding. In addition to the
parameters of "W" and "L" for a regular device, the device 150 with
the rounding gate electrode can be further described by various
lengths "l1", "l2", "l3", and "l4" and various spaces "f1", "f2",
"f3", and "f4" as illustrated in FIG. 3. For example, "l2"
represents the length of an additional feature added to one end and
one side of the regular gate electrode. In another example, "f4"
represents the space between the active region and another
additional feature added to the opposite end and opposite side of
the regular gate electrode. The various length parameters of the IC
device may have different values. Similarly, the various space
parameters of the IC device may have different values as well.
Therefore, the length and space parameters described above are used
to describe the device 150.
[0015] In a more generic case, both the active region and the gate
electrode may include additional features such that the geometry
and the electrical performances of the IC device can be properly
described and determined by two sets of the dimensional parameters.
The first set includes h1-h4 and s1-s4 used to describe a rounding
active region. The other set includes l1-l4 and f1-f4 used to
describe a rounding gate electrode.
[0016] At this step, a set of IC devices are designed, each with a
different layout, particularly, with different dimensional
parameters. The set of IC devices with different layouts are chosen
properly, considering ranges of the parameters. For example,
layouts of the IC devices may cover the range of s parameters from
40 nm to 220 nm. The number of the IC devices is determined with a
tradeoff between the accuracy of the data refinement table and the
cost to build that table. In one example, 25 IC devices of a given
W and L but with different h and s may be designed, manufactured,
and used for the IC devices with a rounding active region, similar
to the IC device illustrated in FIG. 2. In another example, 25 IC
devices of a given W and L but with different l and f may be
designed, manufactured, and used for the IC devices with a rounding
gate electrode, similar to the IC device illustrated in FIG. 3.
[0017] The IC design method 100 proceeds to step 104 by collecting
silicon data of the IC devices designed and manufactured at step
102. These IC devices are measured to collect silicon data such as
wafer acceptance test (WAT) data. The silicon data includes the
values of various electrical parameters. For example, the various
electrical parameters include saturation current (Isat), leakage
current (Ioff), and threshold voltage (Vts). Therefore, electrical
performance data is collected for the IC devices by implementing
WAT tests or other proper tests/measurements and used for
generating a data refinement table constructed according to aspects
of the present disclosure.
[0018] The method 100 proceeds to step 106 by extracting equivalent
dimensions of the IC devices. The method to generate the equivalent
dimensions for each one of the IC devices is disclosed in the
cross-referenced application U.S. Ser. No. 61/032,358 titled "A
METHOD FOR SHAPE AND TIMING EQUIVALENT DIMENSION EXTRACTION" and
assigned to the same assignee. It is briefly described below.
First, an IC contour is generated based on the IC design layout. In
this description, the layout or design layout of the IC device
represents a designed pattern for a photomask intended to be
transferred to a wafer during a lithography process. A contour of
the IC device represents a pattern transferred to a wafer or a
virtual pattern on the wafer by simulation. Here, generating the
contour is a process to simulate the IC device to generate its
physical dimensions and geometries based on its design layout. The
generating process further utilizes the manufacturing data
associated with an IC manufacturer to be implemented to fabricate
the IC device. In one embodiment, the manufacturing data includes
lithography processing data, such as statistical data of focus
and/or energy (or dose) and masks associated with lithography
exposure, to transfer an IC design layout (such as a channel region
122) defined in the mask to an IC feature on a wafer. The
simulation will generate virtual fabricated features corresponding
to the IC design layout. In the example of FIG. 2, the real channel
region is defined by the gate electrode region and the active
region. If the simulation generates an active region contour and a
gate electrode contour, the overlapping area of the active region
contour and the gate electrode contour defines the channel
contour.
[0019] Then, an effective rectangle from the IC layout contour is
generated. The effective rectangle is a geometry that can be
simulated for the electrical performance easily and more
efficiently by a SPICE tool or other suitable simulation tool.
[0020] The generating of the effective rectangle is explained in
detail. First, find a maximum rectangle inside the IC layout
contour defined by the gate electrode contour and the active region
contour. Then, find a width correction to the maximum rectangle
according to the difference between the channel contour and the
maximum rectangle. Similarly, find a length correction to the
maximum rectangle according to the difference between the channel
contour and the maximum rectangle. In one embodiment, the
equivalent width of the channel is the width of the maximum
rectangle plus the width correction, and the equivalent length is
the length of the maximum rectangle plus the length correction.
[0021] The method 100 proceeds to step 108 by generating a shape
related model. The shape related model relates the dimensional
parameters to the electrical performance parameters of the IC
device. According to the present disclosure, the shape related
model includes the equivalent width "We" or the equivalent length
"Le" of the channel instead of the design width W or design length
L. For example, the saturation current Isat,hmos for the IC device
with a rounding active region may be expressed as a function of We,
Le, h1-h4, and s1-s4. Take the difference between the design width
W and the equivalent width We as the width change, referred to as
dW. Then, the Isat,hmos is further expressed as a function of W,
h1-h4, s1-s4, and dW, such as
Isat,hmos=Isat [W, (h, s).sub.4, dW].
[0022] Note, the saturation current is not only expressed as a
function of the dimensional parameters of the design layout but
also as a function of the equivalent dimensions having the rounding
effect. Similarly, the leakage current can also be expressed:
Ioff,hmos=Ioff [W, (h, s).sub.4, dW],
and the threshold voltage can also be expressed:
Vts,hmos=Vts [W, (h, s).sub.4, dW].
[0023] In another example, the saturation current Isat,imos for the
IC device with a rounding gate electrode may be expressed as a
function of We, Le, l1-l4, and f1-f4. Take the difference between
the design length L and the equivalent length Le as the length
change, referred to as dL. Then, the Isat,imos is expressed as a
function of L, l1-l4, f1-f4, and dL, such as
Isat,imos=Isat [L, (l, f).sub.4, dL].
[0024] Note, the saturation current is not only expressed as a
function of the dimensional parameters of the design layout but
also as a function of the equivalent dimensions with the rounding
effect. Similarly, the leakage current can also be expressed:
Ioff,imos =Ioff [L, (l, f).sub.4, dL],
and the threshold voltage can also be expressed:
Vts,imos=Vts [W, (l, f).sub.4, dL].
[0025] In furtherance of step 108, as illustrated in the right
table 164 of FIG. 4, the shape related model is not only expressed
as a function of the dimensional parameters of the design layout
but also as a function of the equivalent dimensions having the
rounding effect.
[0026] The shape related model as described above in various
embodiments can be generated using a mathematical approximation
method. In one embodiment, the shape related model is generated by
multiple regression. In another embodiment, the shape related model
is generated by a linear quadratic method. In another embodiment,
the shape related model is generated by the response surface
approximation. Considering the saturation current of an IC device
with a rounding active region, the generic shape related model is
Isat,hmos=Isat [W, (h, s).sub.4, dW]. In a simple example for
illustration, the saturation current can be expressed as
Isat,hmos=Isat+dIsat, where dIsat=S.sub.1*dW. So, the saturation
current has a saturation current change dIsat from the saturation
current Isat with the same layout and without rounding effect.
S.sub.1 is a coefficient and referred to as a sensitivity. In
another example, the leakage current has a leakage current change
dIoff from the leakage current Ioff with the same layout and
without rounding effect. So, the leakage current can be expressed
as Ioffhmos=Ioff+dIoff, where dIoff=S.sub.2*dW, wherein the active
region has a rounding effect. S.sub.2 is a coefficient and referred
to as a second sensitivity. In another example, for the IC device
having an "I" shaped gate electrode and the rounding effect of the
gate electrode, the saturation current can be expressed as
Isat,imos=Isat+dIsat, where dIsat=S.sub.3*dW. So, the saturation
current has a saturation current change dIsat from the saturation
current Isat with the same layout and without rounding effect.
S.sub.3 is a coefficient and referred to as a third sensitivity.
Similarly, other sensitivity parameters can be defined in the shape
related model.
[0027] The method 100 proceeds to step 110 by generating a data
refinement table. According to aspects of the present disclosure,
the method 100 implements a data refinement table to achieve
electrical performance analysis with high accuracy and efficiency.
The data refinement table is generated using the collected data and
further based on the defined dimensional parameters and the shape
related model. The data refinement table includes electrical
performance data associated with various layouts and collected from
the WAT measurements of the set of the IC devices at step 104. In
one example, the data refinement table includes the saturation
current collected from the IC devices with different h and s of the
active region. In another example, the data refinement table
includes the leakage current collected from the IC devices with
different h and s of the active region. In another example, the
data refinement table includes the saturation current, leakage
current, and the threshold voltage. In another embodiment, the data
refinement table includes the coefficients in the shape related
model such as in Isat,hmos=Isat [W, (h, s).sub.4, dW]. These
coefficients are different for each particular layout and thus the
table-based method provides high accuracy. As a further example,
the data refinement table includes various sensitivity parameters,
such as S.sub.1, S.sub.2, and S.sub.3.
[0028] The data refinement table is thus defined in multiple
dimensions. In one embodiment for the IC device with the rounding
active region, the data refinement table has four dimensions
including channel length L, channel width W, active region height
h, and active space s. In another embodiment, the data refinement
table has more dimensions including channel length L, channel width
W, active region heights h1-h4, and active spaces s1-s4. In another
embodiment, the data refinement table only includes a subset of the
above defined dimensions when possible in special situations. The
data in the table usually includes various parameters, such as
saturation current, leakage current, and threshold voltage. In
another example, the various parameters include various
coefficients or various sensitivities. Furthermore, when the data
refinement table is generated, it is not only based on the designed
width and length of the channel. The data are distributed into the
table according to the equivalent length Le and equivalent width We
of the channel.
[0029] The data refinement table and the shape related model can
provide an approach to accurately and efficiently predict the
electrical performance of an IC device based on its design layout.
This method is further described below with reference to FIG. 5,
including a flowchart of the method 180 to predict the electrical
performance of an IC device using the data refinement table. The
method 180 can be used for post layout analysis including tuning
the design layout and identifying the hot spots. The method begins
at step 182 by providing a design layout of an IC device. Take the
IC device 120 illustrated in FIG. 2 as an example to illustrate the
disclosed method. The provided design layout of the IC device
includes the active region with additional features such as OPC
features. Therefore, the contour of the channel 126 will be
impacted by the rounding effect.
[0030] The method 180 proceeds to step 184 by extracting the
equivalent dimensions of the IC device. The equivalent dimensions
include the equivalent channel width We and the equivalent channel
length Le. The extraction of the equivalent dimensions at this step
is similar to the step 106 of the method 100. The extraction of the
equivalent dimensions includes generating the contour of the
channel region 126 and calculating equivalent dimensions of the IC
device, which are described below, respectively.
[0031] The contour of the IC device is generated by a simulation
tool to simulate the wafer fabrication associated with an IC
manufacturer to be implemented to fabricate the IC device. The
simulation will generate virtual fabricated features corresponding
to the IC design layout. In the example of FIG. 2, the contour of
the channel region is defined by the contour of the gate electrode
region and the contour of the active region. The overlapping region
between the active region contour and the gate electrode contour
defines the contour of the channel region.
[0032] Then, an effective rectangle from the IC layout contour is
generated. The effective rectangle is a geometry that can be
simulated for the electrical performance easily and more
efficiently by a SPICE tool or other suitable simulation tool. To
generate the effective rectangle, first find a maximum rectangle
inside the IC layout contour defined by the gate electrode contour
and the active region contour. Then, find a width correction to the
maximum rectangle according to the difference between the channel
contour and the maximum rectangle. Similarly, find a length
correction to the maximum rectangle according to the difference
between the channel contour and the maximum rectangle. In one
embodiment, the equivalent width of the channel is the width of the
maximum rectangle plus the width correction, and the equivalent
length is the length of the maximum rectangle plus the length
correction.
[0033] The method 180 proceeds to step 186 by predicting the
electrical performance of the IC device using the data refinement
table. Based on the equivalent width We, equivalent length Le, and
other dimensional parameters, such as h and s, the relevant
coefficients can be found or extracted from the data refinement
table. The proper values of the data refinement table are from the
element being closest to the dimensional parameters of the IC
device in terms of equivalent width We and equivalent length Le.
The difference between the equivalent width of the design layout
and the equivalent width for the element of the data refinement
table can be labeled as dWe. The electrical performance of the IC
device can be predicted using the shape related model with
coefficients from the data refinement table. In one particular
example, the sensitivity parameters are extracted from the data
refinement table. The saturation current change dIsat (or other
electrical changes), due to the rounding effect of the active
region, can be found by S.sub.1*dW, wherein the dW is the relative
difference of the equivalent width defined above. If the length of
the channel has a rounding effect, a similar method can be used to
find the S.sub.2 and dL. Then, the saturation current change due to
the rounding effect of the gate electrode can be found by
S.sub.2*dL. The above embodiment of the method 180 only serves as
an example illustrating the method, instead of limiting thereof.
The method can also be used to predict leakage current, threshold
voltage, and other electrical parameters. The disclosed method 180
is applicable to perform the post-layout analysis for design tuning
and other benefits.
[0034] The disclosed method 180 can be implemented in an
environment including a computer system having a microprocessor, an
input device, a storage device, a display, and a communication
device all interconnected by one or more buses. The DFM system to
implement the disclosed methods for post-layout analysis includes a
DFM data kit having manufacturing data from an IC manufacturer,
such as lithography processing data and etching data. The DFM
system includes a simulation module to generate a contour of an IC
device using a design layout of the IC device and the manufacturing
data. The DFM system includes a shape related model having
shape-to-electrical parameters and associating electrical
performance to equivalent dimensions of the IC device. The DFM
system also includes a data refinement table having multiple values
of the shape-to-electrical parameters corresponding to various
design dimensions of the IC device. The DFM system further includes
a layout analysis module to extract electrical performance based on
the design layout using the data refinement table and the shape
related model. The manufacturing data includes lithography
processing data, etching data, chemical mechanical polishing data,
and combinations thereof. The simulation module includes a
lithography process control (LPC) to simulate lithography
processes. The shape related model includes an electrical parameter
represented as a function of equivalent dimensions of the IC
device.
[0035] Thus, the present disclosure provides an integrated circuit
(IC) design method. The method includes providing a plurality of IC
devices with various design dimensions; collecting electrical
performance data of the IC devices; extracting equivalent
dimensions of the IC devices; generating a shape related model to
relate the equivalent dimensions to the electrical performance data
of the IC devices; and creating a data refinement table using the
equivalent dimensions and the electrical performance data.
[0036] The disclosed method may further include predicting
electrical performance of a device using the data refinement table
and equivalent dimensions of the device. The extracting of the
equivalent dimensions may include generating contours of a channel
region for one of the IC devices; and calculating equivalent length
and width of the channel region of the corresponding IC device. The
generating contours may include using a shape simulation tool. The
generating of the shape related model may include measuring
electrical performance parameters of the IC device. The generating
of the shape related model may include calculating electrical
performance parameters of the IC devices using the equivalent
dimensions of the IC devices. The generating of the shape related
model may include using one method selected from the group
consisting of multiple regression, linear quadratic modeling, and
response surface approximation. The creating of the data refinement
table may include finding sensitivity parameters of the electrical
performance relative to the equivalent dimensions for said each of
the IC devices. The finding the sensitivity coefficients may
include finding a width sensitivity of an electrical parameter for
said each of the IC devices; and finding a length sensitivity of
the electrical parameter for said each of the IC devices. The
electrical parameter may include a parameter selected from the
group consisting of saturation current, leakage current, and
threshold voltage.
[0037] The present disclosure also provides an integrated circuit
(IC) design method for post-layout analysis to an IC device. The
method includes providing a design layout of the IC device;
extracting equivalent dimensions of the IC device based on the
design layout; and calculating electrical performance parameters of
the device using a data refinement table and the equivalent
dimensions.
[0038] In this method, the extracting of the equivalent dimensions
may include generating an IC contour based on the design layout by
shape simulation; and calculating equivalent dimensions from the IC
contour. The generating of the IC contour may include generating a
channel region of the IC device. The calculating of the equivalent
dimensions may include finding an equivalent rectangle to represent
an overlapping region of an active region and a gate electrode of
the IC device; and extracting equivalent width and length of the
equivalent rectangle. The calculating of the electrical performance
parameters may further include using a shape related model. The
data refinement table may include various electrical parameters
associated with the shape related model.
[0039] The present disclosure also provides a design for
manufacturing (DFM) system for post layout analysis. The DFM system
includes a DFM data kit including manufacturing data from an IC
manufacturer; a simulation module to generate a contour of an IC
device using a design layout of the IC device and the manufacturing
data; a shape related model associating electrical performance to
equivalent dimensions of the IC device; a data refinement table
configured to include electrical parameters corresponding to
various design layouts; and a layout analysis module to extract
electrical performance using the data refinement table and the
shape related model.
[0040] In the disclosed DFM system, the manufacturing data may
include a set of data selected from the group consisting of
lithography process data, etching data, chemical mechanical
polishing data, and combinations thereof. The simulation module
includes a lithography process control (LPC) employing the
manufacturing data to simulate lithography processes. The shape
related model may include an electrical parameter represented as a
function of an equivalent dimension of the IC device.
[0041] The foregoing has outlined features of several embodiments
so that those skilled in the art may better understand the detailed
description that follows. Those skilled in the art should
appreciate that they may readily use the present disclosure as a
basis for designing or modifying other processes and structures for
carrying out the same purposes and/or achieving the same advantages
of the embodiments disclosed herein. Those skilled in the art
should also realize that such equivalent constructions do not
depart from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, and
that they may make various changes, substitutions and alterations
herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present
disclosure.
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